Dexter’s POV

Gaia’s lab seemed less cluttered than usual. Her tables were mostly cleared except for dozens of vials containing blood, mostly mine but some from herself and even professor Donovan.

She wouldn’t speak much on her experiment, despite the fact I was now officially her research assistant.

In fact, she never said much to me. It felt like she wanted to, but then something always came up.

I hoped things would be different today. She seemed calm, or at least less anxious as I was arranging element crystals on the shelf.

It was the fifth day in a row she’d given me the same task. First she wanted them arranged by size, then by color, then by purity—It took me half the day just to work out what that even meant—yesterday she asked me to order them by elemental potential, which wasn’t all that different from their purity. I honestly could have just left them in place and she might not have noticed.

I lifted a lightning gem letting my focus slide over its surface, feeling every prickle, bend, and point like needles against my senses. It was a technique that came naturally, though I couldn’t explain exactly what I was doing.

The gem felt heavier than the others. More dense, and more volatile as well. Its purity was high as was its potential. I placed it on the top shelf next to a fire crystal that had shifted only one position left today when I realized it was more dense than the dark opal beside it.

With only three gems left, I wondered if there was any purpose to this task at all. If I recalled correctly, the gems were now in their original arrangement, except for the three I had yet to place.

Gaia stepped up beside me, examining the shelves briefly. She touched a frost diamond then picked up the wind stone beside it and swapped their positions. “You should be ready soon,” she whispered, then added, even quieter, “maybe too soon.

She walked away, leaving me to wonder exactly what she meant. I thought about following her to ask for more details, but decided I should stick with asking about her experiment.

She’d taken so much blood from me in two days that I had been certain almost nothing remained for my body to circulate. I ended up being fine, but it was her lack of concern that really bothered me.

I placed the last of the gems then found Gaia in the room furthest back. The room stunk like rotten glum fish, which might’ve made sense if the large aquarium on the rear wall held any sea life at all. By the size of the tank, she could’ve kept a fairly large collection of fish, or maybe even a larger predator fish. Whatever had been in the tank, it seemed to me that she had put off cleaning for much too long.

Gaia stood beside the tank. Her expression was hard as she stared at the empty space inside. She didn’t seem to notice as my reflection appeared beside hers on the glass.

I cleared my throat and she jumped a little. Her eyes flicked up, looking at my reflection before she turned and gave me a quick once over.

She gave her head a small shake as if waking herself from a daydream and said, “Sorry, I was… what do you need?”

“This experiment you’ve been doing, what exactly is it? Why did you need my blood?”

Gaia pulled back, blinking rapidly before turning to face me completely. Her arms folded over her chest, then unfolded. She glanced away as her brows creased and her lip twitched.

She released a heavy sigh before saying, “I’m just trying to cure M. I didn’t necessarily need your blood, but you were a convenient and willing source that saved me time convincing other young magisters to donate to the cause.”

I didn't find her answer convincing, but I didn’t think I’d get a better response either. So instead I said, “I finished sorting the stones.”

“Good, then tomorrow you can—”

“Doctor,” I said firmly, letting my gaze drill into hers as I tried to stare a hole through her and get an honest response.“What about what you and Donovan told me before. Can we try to go further now? Or maybe you can just explain to me and help me prepare for…what was your plan? I actually don’t remember.”

“Perhaps another time. For now you should focus on your training with the professor. Hmm?” She smiled, her posture relaxing as she pulled out her phone. “He tells me you’ve gotten faster, but you’re still too predictable and rigid. I’m told Val is progressing nicely as well.”

I took a deep breath. Her response felt like she was pushing me away, like there was something she wanted me to know, but was too afraid to tell me herself.

I wasn’t going to just walk away this time.

“I need to know, Gaia. Whatever is going on, it has something to do with Val and I can’t protect her if I don’t know what I’m fighting against.”

The smile left her expression and she shook her head, her cheeks reddened, her lips curved sharply down and her eyes fell soft.

Then she turned away from me, moving to a long metal table. There were no tools there, only papers covered in formulas.

After a long moment, she spoke in a flat tone, as if the words themselves had been robbed of meaning, but they still needed to be spoken all the same, she said, “I had a sister once. She was a bit impulsive and curious to a fault.” Gaia looked up, blinking as she met my eyes. “I haven’t been responsible for anyone since I lost her. I’m only trying to be careful, Dex. Please understand.”

I left, not having the courage to ask about her past. I still had no real answers, but her story did offer me some clarity. Whatever it was Gaia feared, I didn't think it was anything I needed to worry about. At least that was the feeling I got, though it might’ve been my own desire for comfort that led me to that conclusion.

As I entered the room I shared with Alex, Amhir, and Valentina I felt a surge of excitement, but also a bit of bitterness. This was going to be my last time in this dorm and I was only here to collect Val and the last of my things.

It was still hard to believe I actually got into the research understudy program. I still had a long way to go, but at least now I had a clear way to investigate what happened to my parents. I might also pay off my debts in a few years time.

Amhir was the only one in the dorm, sitting in his bed with his nose in a book.

I walked past his door silently, hoping to avoid another lecture about how I owed everything to him and Alex.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

It wasn't exactly how I felt about it, but Amhir was at least right that I might’ve been eliminated if not for them looking out for me. Still, the constant reminder made me want to vomit. If he really wanted to make the research program so badly, then he should’ve tried harder for points instead of following me around. Better yet, he should’ve relied on whatever family connections he had, unless he didn’t actually have any.

I made it to my room quickly, glad to find Val throwing the few personal items I had left into a small suitcase I was borrowing from the professor. I grabbed the bag off the bed then turned to leave with a nod of appreciation.

“Did you get the answer you wanted?” Val asked, not even attempting to keep her voice low.

I winced, hearing a low thump then a shuffling noise as Amhir scrambled from his room into the common area. “Dexter!” He stopped in front of my door, his eyes blinking twice in slow succession. “Dexter, you weren’t planning to sneak in and out of here without saying anything were you?”

I glared, taking a half step back before sighing in resignation as I said, “Well, I had hoped to, but I suppose you won’t allow that now.”

He grinned, then pulled a small pouch from his pocket. As he placed it in my hand he said, “This is from Alex, he thought you might try and skip out like this so he asked me to make sure I got it to you.”

I nodded. “Thanks, I’ll send him a message.” I pulled out my phone and started to write a thank you message to Alex as I started to move past him, but stopped. I looked over my shoulder, then said, a bit louder than needed, “and Amhir, thanks for what you did during the ranking battle.”

He shook his head and smiled before saying, as we both stepped into the hall, “Just don’t forget who you stepped over to get where you are now.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of his words. His tone suggested he had made peace with the outcome, but the phrasing almost seemed like a threat.

I didn't get it. Even with his family's status, Amhir had never shown much interest in becoming a magister or research understudy. He was always with Alex when I saw him, and Alex never seemed to take anything seriously. If Amhir really wanted to advance, maybe what he really needed was a different friend.

I left without responding, figuring that anything I could say would only escalate things.

Once Val and I made it outside I took her hand, leading her to what would be our new home. It wasn’t actually in the dormitory section of the tower.

We returned to the compass hall and made our way to the north end. Donovan was waiting beside an ornate arch with a glowering rune beneath it.

His head was down, his hair disheveled and he looked a little tired, but his eyes were filled with excitement. When we approached he said, “Congratulations, Dexter. You’ve really exceeded my expectations. Not many could say that they earned a spot here in under a year, much less on their first try. The ones that do, usually only manage it because of family.”

I nodded with a smile. “Well, I have you to thank, don’t I?”

Donovan shook his head, “Actually no. Your first three votes you earned all on your own as far as I could tell. I don’t know what swayed them, but this is one accomplishment you should celebrate and enjoy before worrying about things like that.”

His words made sense, but I couldn’t accept it so simply. The professor might have been right, but if it wasn’t him, then it had to be someone. There was absolutely no way I really got in on my own.

We passed through the arch, then stepped into a garden so neat and clean it reminded me more of the entrance to a museum. There were hedges so thick I couldn't see through them and flowers of every size, shape and color imaginable. The fragrance of so many different blossoms mingled to create a rich aroma that calmed and energized my whole being.

A giant tree stood at the center of the garden, lording over everything under its massive branches. Its dark brown trunk twisted up into three massive branches, extending further up from the center then arching out over the garden in a dome of leaves. The tree itself seemed to pulse with warm light and the flow of wind seemed to go and come the trunk as if the tree was actually breathing.

Donovan stopped under the canopy of leaves, turning to face us and spreading his arms in a wide flourish. He said, in a formal tone, “Welcome to the research department. Your dorm is this way. If you will follow me, please.” He walked towards the garden’s center, leading us around the tree trunk and up to a small building behind the massive plant.

There were several buildings like it scattered across the garden, some taller and others about the same as this one. He opened the door for us, continuing to exaggerate his movements.

His behavior only made it harder not to see him as a child.

The inside of the building was just as lush and elegant as the outside with leafy ferns hanging in pots that dangled around marble columns. The first level was empty, with no halls, doors or furniture, only a fountain and a set of wide stairs beyond it.

The professor led us up then down a long hallway of polished wooden floor boards. A soft red rug stretched out over the boards, accenting the cherry wood nicely. At the end of the hallway we stopped at a room marked with a rune shaped like a crescent moon.

Professor Kaylastal said, still with that same overblown formality, “Your home for the foreseeable future, sir and madam. Please step inside.”

We stepped past him.

The room was almost exactly what I had imagined. There were two large windows that stretched all the way from floor to ceiling and a thick bed of soft cotton and wool in the back corner of the room. I had an excellent view of the garden, an architectural impossibility, and yet I was seeing it anyway.

I placed the suitcase on a round wooden table with three chairs that stood at the center of the room.

There were two doors that I could see, one on either side of the window. I knew neither led to a kitchen, since that was located just right of the door we entered through. We had plenty of counter space for food and cooking, but I was more curious about the bedroom.

At first I thought I wanted a bigger bed, since Val always slept beside me instead of on the provided tome stand my previous bed felt cramped. The moment I entered the door on the left, I realized I absolutely did not want a larger bed.

There was entirely too much space in this room, but even that couldn't deter the sense of comfort I felt here. The bed was twice as big as I was used to, the dresser looked twice as tall as well, and yet, everything seemed to fit.

Still I was worried that nights might feel a bit colder.

There was a large bathroom and a walk in closet that was at least as big as my previous room.

I returned to the main room, crossing the other door. The door on the right turned out to be unfurnished, making it feel out of sync with the rest of the house. I felt sure we would figure something out for it, but right then it didn’t really seem to matter.

Professor Kaylastal was waiting in the front room when I returned. “So, what do you think?”

I couldn’t put it into words. The place was more than I deserved and better than anywhere I had ever lived. The thought that it was mine just wouldn’t settle.

Donovan sat in one of the chairs, looking at me with a curious gaze as he waited for an answer.

I crossed my arms, giving voice to the only solid thought I had. “It feels too big, too empty for just me. I’d rather have my parents back and return to the apartment they kept outside of the tower.”

Donovan stood, his merriment fading as he said, “Well unless you’re going back in time, then you might want to focus on moving forward.”

I sighed, knowing he was right.

His eyes flicked over to Val, who was exploring the place. Then he said, “You found a strong reason to fight during the ranking battle. I couldn’t think of a better reason to fight than protecting what you care about. Even if you still want to know the truth, don’t get distracted with vengeance. I promise you, that road leads only to ruin.”

I nodded, but wasn't really paying attention.

My mind was occupied with my plans for the future, and what I was going to do with all this space.

Donovan took his leave after giving me a small wave.

I sat on the couch. There were so many things I had to do and think about that I couldn’t settle my mind on any one thing for more than a few moments.

Val came close, taking a seat beside me. “It’s nice, I like it.”

I glanced at her with a smile.